TECHNOLOGY RECRUITER BUCKS EURO-ZONE TREND

TECHNOLOGY RECRUITER BUCKS EURO-ZONE TREND

Amidst reports of a slump in recruitment trading across Europe, Darwin Recruitment, international specialists in sourcing IT, Technology and Digital professionals, ended 2011 with their best ever quarterly results. The UK firm reported a quarterly Net Profit of 350K, an increase of 15% on the preceding quarter. The results defy the recent readings of several large European recruiters whose earnings have come in at the bottom end of analysts’ forecasts over the last 3 months.*

Darwin has seen equal improvement in demand for both permanent and temporary staff. This data is mapped by new job requirements coming into the business month on month which Darwin feel is the best barometer for market conditions deteriorating. The recruiter also reports no increase in the supply of new candidates to the European job market suggesting relative stability within the marketplace. Darwin’s increase in earnings was particularly robust in Holland where the firm recently opened their newest branch office in Amsterdam. The growing Essex-based company recently announced a three-year plan of expansion which will see further offices open in Switzerland, Norway and Germany, and the creation of 40 new jobs.

“The message from our overseas clients is that they are not anticipating any slow down in their business needs. Whilst the effects of the euro-zone debt crisis will be felt everywhere, the technology sector remains one of the most buoyant. In addition, only 2 years ago, the vast majority of our customers made significant cut backs upon their staffing numbers. The impact of that change has not been properly adjusted with this second phase of potential recession/downturn hitting so soon. This has meant that the supply of candidates hitting the market isn’t increasing because our customers already have a very narrow compliment of IT heads and simply can’t make further cut backs. However, it is a fast-moving sector that requires a very specialist understanding both in industry and cultural terms, which has always been at the forefront of our operation.”

Darwin has seen a dramatic increase in demand within the Scandinavian territories and Germany where unemployment is reaching record lows. With the last financial year’s sales reaching a &pound7.5million turnover, the firm forecasts an 80% growth to &pound13.5million turnover by 2014 and a significant increase in contractor numbers.